Best 15 Albums of 2005: Luxe and Redux
Jan 16 '06 (Updated May 19 '06)
The Bottom Line Wolf Parade marches on high
After much deliberation I bring you the best albums from 2005. If you don't have some of these I strongly recommend getting the music through any means you deem appropriate.
I feel inclined to tell you that this list was originally a top ten list, but some albums came to me post release of the list and I had to give them their due. Therefore I apologize in advance to any references to a top ten list or mistaken claims of rankings I place on an album.
Note:
It's now May of 2006 and after some more time with these albums I've decided to implement the mighty rearranger yet again. Anyone out there even faking interest will be pleased to know I updated the list and feel very comfortable with the new order.
15. Bang Bang Rock & Roll- Art Brut
I honestly can’t recommend this album to you with a clear conscience, because you will be sorely disappointed. So why is it in my top ten? This album is absolutely hilarious. Imagine getting a couple of your friends, neither of which being musically inclined, and deciding to start up a band (trust me this happens more often than you’d think). Now imagine that band you just formed actually getting the opportunity to make a real album. This is essentially what we have with Art Brut. The lead singer of the band is quite literally talking loudly. What makes this even funnier is the fact that he comments on his inability to sing on the opening track, We Formed a Band. Lyrically the album is all too clever and the music brings to mind a strange mix between Franz Ferdinand and Wire. Art Brut is about as pure as rock can get, because it’s quite obvious that the band is simply ecstatic to be hearing its own noise come out of stereo. The album is definitely worth a listen, if nothing more for the laughs.
14. Z- My Mourning Jacket
Of all the bands that I introduced myself to this year My Mourning Jacket probably disappointed me the most. Obviously not because I thought the album was terrible seeing as it is number eleven on my list. No, it disappointed me because I read more than one review that said this album was a blend of Radiohead and Lynyrd Skynyrd at their best. This got my creative juices flowing and had me envisioning a superpower of a band. While the album is still worth your time it is definitely not the hybrid beast I had been told it would be. I can see hints of Radiohead hear in Jim James’ Yorke-esque voice but the comparisons end there. Actually if I had to compare the songs on this album to any band it would be the Clash. Songs like What a Wonderful Man and Off the Record wouldn’t sound at all out of place on London Calling. Overall the album is actually very good, it just took me some time to lower my unrealistic expectations.
13. Silent Alarm- Bloc Party
These Brits make no attempt to conceal their pretensions and overall produce a very amibtious, if not somewhat flat, album. Bloc Party's effort is so evident it's almost tangible, and it's certainly admirable to see a band at least trying their hardest. Silent Alarm does have its moments of grandeur, most of them coming on the front half of the album, but isn't nearly as splendid as many will tell you.
12. You Could Have it So Much Better…- Franz Ferdinand
When this album first came out I was all too ready to anoint it album of the year after only a couple of listens. At the time I first heard the album I had only listened to one other top ten album on my list and was desperately craving some great new music. So of course, adhering to my normal behavior, I brashly said this was the best album of the year without contest and gave it five stars in a review. Almost immediately after my crazed ranting about this album I realized that it wasn’t nearly as good as I thought it was. All of a sudden the mid song tempo changes and sound alike riffs weren’t blowing me away. I stand by the claim that Franz’s sophomore output is musically an improvement over their debut and that The Fallen is the bands best song to date, but I would no longer call this a great album. Its good, and a step in the right direction for Franz, but nothing more.
My Complete Review of You Could Have it So Much Better...
11. Picaresque- The Decemberists
We live in a world in which fiction is all too often forgotten, and looked upon as whimsical and for sissies. That’s why it’s so great to see Colin Meloy of The Decemberists write eleven tale of either tragedy or triumph that celebrate many ages long dead. Lyrically Meloy is probably the best in the business at creating stories that wouldn’t seem too out of place in a literature class. Then again he may be the only man in the business to attempt such a feat. Throughout the album Meloy covers a child king, a fallen athlete, a communist refugee, and a beguiled mariner to name a few. Musically the band never seems to run out of ideas and backs up all of Meloy’s tales in interesting ways. For example The Mariner’s Revenge Song sounds like a chantey one would have heard on a sailor’s barge in the 1700’s. As long as the Decemberists continue producing such outstanding music the world will be secure for those who wish to prance through fields in the countryside.
10. Gimme Fiction- Spoon
Even with Spoon’s album Gimme Fiction, which I’m clearly fond of, it seems like the band has a lot of untapped potential. After an outstanding opening three tracks the band reverts to its “do what we need to get by but no more” approach to making music. I find Spoon’s music good enough that this approach still produces better music than most bands but after hearing what they are capable of on I Turn My Camera On and Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentine I can’t help but be irritated. The music after I Turn My Camera On never gets bad, in fact many may find Sister Jack to be one of the better tracks on the album, but none of it sticks out in my mind after I listen to it.
9. Mezmerize/Hypnotize (My Version)- System of a Down
I've decided to take complete advantage of the MP3 revolution with what might as well be considered a double album from System of a Down. If you cut out all the thrashing, mind numbing, metal that abandons all sense of melody, this album is really rather enjoyable. System of a Down often trys to hide the fact that they can harmonize with the best of 'em, and write insanely beautiful melodies, but if you take the time to look they aren't hard to find. The chorus on Violent Pornography or BYOB leave me singing along every time I hear them.
8. Face the Truth- Stephen Malkmus
Anyone in dire need of a Pavement fix will be glad to know that Malkmus hasn't abandoned his quirky, childish approach to making music. The music is fun and comparable to Pavement's work on Brighten the Corners or Terror Twilight. Crooked Rain' Crooked Rain' this is not, but it doesn't intend to be that either. Pencil Rot and Baby C'mon are Malkmus at his raunchy best. His ability to keep the pace in Pencil Rot fresh without a real chorus to speak of is remarkable.
My Complete Review of Face the Truth
7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Contrary to their childish name this band shows how to rock indie style. Their self released and self promoted debut rarely lets up with a flurry of Modest Mouse style jams and catchy tunes. The album's not nearly as immediate as one might expect, in fact it took me several listens to even consider putting it on this list. Once you get into Alec Ounsworth's vocals, which takes some doing, you're going to be hooked.
My Complete Review of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
6. The Woods- Sleater-Kinney
I could tell you all about how great this album is, and how absolutely loud the pounding guitars on The Woods can be and you might become quite interested. But the second I mention the small detail that Sleater-Kinney is composed of three girls I’m bound to lose the interest of just about any guy reading this. For some reason girls rocking out just doesn’t seem realistic or enjoyable. Well let me inform you that Sleater-Kinney is the exception to the rule and if this is the kind of music we’re going to get with increased woman’s rights, I’m all for it. The music sounds as manly, if not more so, than any album this year and I almost forget it is a threesome of girls every time I listen to it. The vocals are so powerful and packing such a seemingly impossible wallop that I wonder why women don’t sing rock and roll like this more often. As far as the instrumental work goes, one need go no further than the thunderous intro of the opening track, The Fox, to figure out that these girls can play guitar. If you’re a fan of rock and roll you would do well to put down your chauvinist barriers and give Sleater-Kinney a chance.
5. Get Behind Me Satan- The White Stripes
Get Behind Me Satan shocked me more than any new album this year though not in the sense that the music was better or worse than I expected. It shocked me in the sense that the White Stripes had struck gold on Elephant and then had completely turned from that style of making music. Only three tracks on this album feature Jack White’s raw, incomparable skills on the guitar that made Elephant an album for the ages. The rest of the songs on GBMS are piano driven with, of course, Meg White hammering out the rhythm on the drums. Once I got past the initial shock of not hearing electric guitar on a White Stripes album I found that the two best songs on the album were indeed two piano driven songs, My Doorbell, and the song of the year, The Denial Twist. What keeps this album from being as good as Elephant is several tracks that sound too similar and bland. White Moon, The Nurse, and As Ugly as I Seem are far too uninspired to allow this album to be considered on the same level as Elephant.
My Complete Review of Get Behind Me Satan
4. Twin Cinema- The New Pornographers
For some reason I had the idea in my head that the New Pornographers were nothing more than another Fall Out Boy and therefore never really gave their music a chance. Of course my assessment was way off base as I joyously found out when I listened to their third album, Twin Cinema. The band reminds my slightly of the Arcade Fire but with more of a power chord punk punch to their music. On Twin Cinema the band utilizes the dual singing combo of male and female very effectively. On most tracks the duo sing simultaneously, like on the great Jackie, Sleeps with Cobras, but occasionally just one or the other will sing. Usually the male lead, I’m too lazy to look up their names, will take the high octane tracks while the chick handles the piano driven ballads. I’m very surprised I haven’t heard their songs on the radio more often because they’re easily accessible.
My Complete Review of Twin Cinema
3. Separation Sunday- The Hold Steady
This album just came to my attention shortly after releasing my list and I felt compelled to give it a spot on the list. Separation Sunday features some of the greatest story telling in rock and roll this year and has some outstanding music to back it up. The album follows around a conflicted girl in suburban Minneapolis. Lyrically the album centers around a lot of drug use and hypocrisy in religion. The onslaught of guitar, piano, and horns help cover up lead singer Craig Finn's inability to really sing.
My Complete Review of Separation Sunday
2. Kicking Television: Live in Chicago- Wilco
Choosing this album is kind of cheating because, save a couple of tracks, it’s pretty much Wilco’s greatest hits from their last two albums. None the less the live versions of the cream of the crop from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born have a fuller and more complete appeal than the originals. Even the solemn Radio Cure sounds inspired and exciting on Kicking Television. My only complaint on this album is that the band only does three tracks from Summerteeth and Being There, and none from A.M. Jeff Tweedy and the boys make up for this though with a couple of Mermaid Avenue tracks, One by One and Airline to Heaven, and a cover of Comment (If All Men Are Truly Brothers) which shows Tweedy singing about as sincerely as one can imagine.
1. Apologies to the Queen Mary- Wolf Parade
My album of the year really rolls in at number one without much of a contest at all. That’s not to take anything away from the previous nine albums I listed but Wolf Parade blows all albums this year out of the water. Apologies to the Queen Mary is the indie group from Canada’s debut and bodes well for the future. Many may compare the bands sound to that of Modest Mouse, which is to be expected considering Isaac Brock helped out with the production. Wolf Parade does have its own unique sound despite Brock’s involvement and has a debut album with very few flaws. What keeps the album from ever growing stale is a near track by track trade off between lead vocalists Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug. Boeckner’s got more of a standard Kurt Cobain, unabashed growl while Krug has a far more unique voice. When combined these voices provide a tag team duo bands will have a hard time competing with for quite some time.
My Complete Review of Apologies to the Queen Mary
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